Lubricating system for piston machines



March 1, 1932. STEEDMAN LUBRICATING SYSTEM FOR PISTON MACHINES Original Filed June 2, 1927 I N VENTOR: EOW/N h. -STEIEDNIIIV. BY fiTTORNEY Figures land 2'.

Patented Mar. 1, 1932.

- {UNITED STATES PATENT ferries nnwm H. srnnnrmn, or s'r. roursivnssoun'r, nssrenon 'ro ounrrs mnnurncrunme COMPANY, or wnLLs'roN, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION or mssounr LUBRIGATING SYSTEM FOR IBISTON MACHINES Original application fiIed'J'une 2,1927, Seria1No.'196,104. Divided and thisapplication filed m 1928'.

' Serial No. 289,854;

This invention relates to a novel lubricating apparatus for compressors, internal combustion engines and similar machinesof'the kind that comprise a. reciprocating piston joinedv by a connecting rod to a crank arm or the like on a rotating shaft, this present application being a division of my pending application for patent Serial No. 196,104, filed June 2, 1927, for lubricating systems forpiston machines." V r The'object of my present invention is to provide a lubricating apparatus having. the

feaures or characteristics described in my saidtpen ding application for patent, in which the means used to supply oil to the centrifugal pressurechamber of the rotatable member on the crank shaft, consists of a rotatable ring,

partly submerged in the oil in the crank case of the machine; i

' Figural of the drawings is a side eleva tional view, partlybroken away, of the crank case of atwo cylinder compressor equipped with a lubricating apparatus constructed in accordance with my present invention.

7 Figure 2 is a transverse sectional View, taken on the-line 22 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view, illustrating a feature thatcan be added to a lubricating apparatus of thekind shown in In the accompanyingdrawings which illustrate the preferred form ofmy present invention, A designates the crank. case of a com pressor, internal combustion engine, reciprocating pump or othermachine equippedwith one or more cylinders whose pistons are joinedhby connecting'rods B to the crank shaft C of the machine. The, lubricating apparatus, hereinfillustrated and described is used to supply oil to-the bearings l'that surround the, crank pins D on the crank shaft, and is of such'desig-n that it will positively supply an adequate quantity 'of'oiltosaid crank pins without liability oficausing the 1 cylinders of the machine to receive an excessive supply ofoil whenthe machme 1s operated at a high speed. Said lubricating apparatus is designed so that oil will be fed to each of the bearings- 1 or-to its co-operating uga-l force. As shown in Figure 1, the crank shaft C has associated with same arotatable member E that is provided with oil chambers F. from which oil ducts or passageways3 lead to the outer surfaces of the crank pins ,D. The member E can be formed integral with the crank shaft, or it can be detachably connected to the crank shaft, and when the invention is embodied in amulti-cylinder machine, as shown in Figure 1, the member E can consist of a substantially disk-shaped portion on the crankshaft that is located between adjacent connecting rods B and which forms portionszof the crank arms on the crank shaft that carryrthe crank pins D The member E is preferably arranged at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the crank shaft, and the peripheral edge .of said member is-bifurcated so as to form a slotfin same thathastwo parallel, vertically-disposed side walls 5. Annularv grooves that are formed in the side walls-5 of the slot 4: preferably in concentric relation with the axisof rotation of the crank shaft C, constitute-centrifugal pressure chambers from which oil is forced through the ducts 3 to the crank pins. The chambersor grooves F may be constructed invarious ways without departingrfrom the spirit of my invention. They are herein illustrated-as having opposed, concentrically arranged, inwardly inclined walls and y disposed'at-such an angle to the verticalsurfaces 5 onthememberE in which said grooves are formed that the centrifugal force. produced by the rotary movement of the member'Ewill produce pressure in said chambers F'tha t causes the oil'in same to be fed to the ducts or passagewaysfi crank shaftis set'in operation any oil that may be on the Vertically-disposed surfaces 5 that lead to the crank pinsDr When the of themember E will be thrown radially exert pressure onsaid oil in a direction? to I force it positively through the ducts 3 leading to the crank pins.

Means is provided for automatically supplying oil to the grooves or chambers F in the member E, and in the present form of my invention the said means consists of an oil ring G arranged so that the lower portion of said ring is normally submerged in the bath of oil in the bottom ofthe crank case of the machine, and the upper portion of said ring is positioned in the annular slot 4 in the member E in engagement with inclined distributing surfaces 6 on the member E which are disposed at such angles that the oil suppliedto said surfaces 6 by the ring G will travel by centrifugal force into the grooves F. The inclined distributing surfaces 6 are arranged in concentric relation with the axis of rotation of the member E and form continuations of the inner walls of the chambers F. The ring G is held in frictional engagement with the outwardly inclined distributing surfaces 6 by the weight of said ring, and in instances when the member E is provided with two opposed, open-sided oil chambers, as herein shown. one ring G serves to supply oil to the two distributing surfaces 6 that coact with said oil chamber. If desired a roller 17 can be mounted on the bottom of the crank case of the machine, so as to lap over the ring G and prevent said ring from getting out of position.

The walls of the cylinders of the machine are lubricated preferably by the oil thrown by centrifugal force from the jointsat the ends of the connecting rod bearings 1. The joints at the ends of the connecting rod bearings 1 are also utilized to supply oilby centrifugal force to oil distributing members .13 in'the upper portion ofthe crank case which are so constructedand arranged that the oil thrown against the underside of the said members from the ends of the connecting rod bearings 1 will flow downwardly on said members and finally drip from same into oil holes in the crank shaft'bearings 15. In order toprevent excess oil that may be on the vertically-disposed surfaces 5 of the member E from being thrown upwardly intothe cylinders of the machine, and thus causing the cylinders to receive an excessive supply of oil,

an oil guard 16 is arranged over the rotatable member E. Myfimproved lubricating sys- 'tem is applicable to single cylinder machines as well as to multi-cylinder machines.

' If desired, co operating teeth 18 canbe formed on the-inner side ofthe oil ring G and on the bottom ofthe slot 4 in the member E, as shown in F1gure3, so as to positively irotate SELlCl'Oll ring and cause it to feed oil upwardlyfrom the bath of oil in. the crank case to the surfaces 6 of the member E. Y

I v A lubricating apparatus of the construction above described insures oil being sup- -plied'tothe cylinders of the machine, to the main crank shaft bearings and to the bearsupplied to the connectin'g'rod bearings 1 by c pressure produced by centrifugal force, and the oil which escapes from the ends of the connecting rodbearings is used to lubricate the cylinder walls and to lubricate the main bearings of the crank shaft. While I have herein illustrated the oil chambers F as being formed by annular grooves in the member E, I wish it to be understood that it is not essential that said chambers, be continuous or of annular form, as theymay consist of any kind of pocket, straight or curved, with undercut walls or other suitable inwardlyinclined surfaces disposed at an angle to the surfaces '5', as previously described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

' 1. A lubricating apparatus, comprising a rotatable member provided with an oil chamber, open at one side and constructed so that the centrifugal force produced by the rotary movement of said member tends to cause oil in said chamber to be forced out of the same to a surface that requires lubrication, a distributing surface on said member disposed in a crank shaft provided with a crank pin, a-

connecting rod joined to said crank pin, a rotatable member on the crank shaft provided with an oil chamber open at one side, in which pressure is created by the centrifugal force produced by the rotary movement of said member, means for conducting oil from said chamber to said crank pin, an outwardly inclined distributing surface on said member arranged in concentric relation wlth the axis of rotation of said member, and a ring parl" tially submerged in a bath of oil and arranged so that the innerside of the'top portion of saidring bears upon said outwardly inclined distributing surface for delivering oil to the same. a

' 3. A crank pin lubricating apparatus, comprising a rotatable member combined with the crank shaft that carries the crank pin and provided with an annular slot that has a "concentric outwardly inclined distributing surface, an oil ring surrounding said member and arranged in said slot with the inner side of the top portion of said ring contacting with said outwardly inclined surface, the lower portion of said ring being submerged in a bath of oil, an oil chamber in one of the side walls of said slot disposed so that oil will be supplied to same from said distributing surface by centrifugal force, and a passageway leading from said chamber for supplying oil to the crank pin.

4:. In a machine of the kind described, a crank shaft provided with a pair of crank pins, a rotatable member combined with the crank shaft and provided with a slot having oppositely inclined, concentric oil distributing surfaces, oil chambers in said member communicating with said distributing surfaces and constructed so that the centrifugal force produced by the rotary movement of said member tends to cause oil to be forced from said distributing surfaces into said chambers and thence through ducts which lead to said crank pins, an oil ring positioned in the slot in said rotatable member and having its top portion resting on said distributing surfaces, said ring being arrangedwith its lower portion submerged in a bath of oil in the crank case of the machine, and means for retaining said ring in operative position in said slot.

EDWIN H. STEEDMAN. 

